Causes and Consequences of our Disconnection to Nature (D2N):

Many past cultures and civilizations knew about our ecological affinity and its significance. Unfortunately, much of the indigenous wisdom has been lost or abandoned (Zelenski et al., 2023). Our cultural eco-detachment has been formed by beliefs and mindsets that view nature as subservient to humans, unimportant, boring, untrustworthy, or even terrifying (Zelenski et al., 2023). A resulting lack of regard also means that we have lost the ability to notice how our actions affect nature and therefore ourselves (Kellert et al., 2017a; Leopold, 1949). These anthropocentric and egoistic perspectives come with a cost, which current and future generations will continue to pay until widespread shifts in consciousness and behavior occur (Kellert et al., 2017b; Roszak, 1995). Fortunately, ecopsychologists, sociologists, conservation psychologists, and others have recently poured energy into understanding the relationship between humans and our environment (Beery et al., 2023; Di Fabio and Kenny, 2018). Consequently, extensive studies across many disciplines now tell us the breadth to which a nature deficiency is harmful to the individual, the culture, and the ecological balance of our planet (Kellert et al., 2017b).

Today, research suggests that our constricted schedules, advanced technologies, addictive entertainment, constructed surroundings, and security at home are all major factors keeping people from spending time in nature (Kellert et al., 2017b). To illustrate, in the United States, about 90% of an individual's time is spent indoors (Klepeis et al., 2001). Life for many Americans is relatively comfortable and so interest in nature as our source of belonging is lacking (Kellert et al., 2017a). Other explanations for our D2N point to societal issues such as variations of perceptions and perspectives, institutional laws and management systems, transient social norms, and expectations toward nature (Ives et al., 2018; Kellert et al., 2017a). According to a review by Beery et al. (2023), our disconnect is philosophical, sociocultural, emotional, cognitive, experiential, material, political, and institutional. Our disconnect is sourced by disruptions in our "meaning-making process” (Beery et al., 2023). See Figure 1 for a visual representation of this concept.

Figure 1: “The Wheel of Disconnection”

From “Disconnection from nature: Expanding our understanding of human–nature relations” (Beery et al., 2023)

With alternative language, relevant literature also suggests that our current alienation is tied to the "extinction of experience," originally termed by Robert Pyle (Pyle, 1993; Soga and Gaston, 2016). The extinction of experience phenomenon consists of two core concepts: the "loss of opportunity" and the "loss of orientation.” (Soga and Gaston, 2016). The consequences of those concepts form a recurring theme found in most articles related to our D2N. "The loss of interaction with nature not only diminishes a wide range of benefits relating to health and well-being, but also discourages positive emotions, attitudes, and behavior concerning the environment, implying a cycle of disaffection toward nature" (Soga and Gaston, 2016, p. 94). In other words, an abundance of research now demonstrates the ways our gradual “extinction of experience” has impacted our well-being and affinity toward nature (Kellert, 1993). The effects of our alienation from nature are now omnipresent. In our dissociation from the environment, we are neglecting our health as we simultaneously damage our habitat (Greenway, 1995; Ives et al., 2018; Leopold, 1949). When presented with new ideas, it is possible to adjust one's focus to a more intricate lens. A lens that shows that our mental, physical, and spiritual health is closely intermingled with nature (Cohen, 2007; Greenway, 1995).

Treatments - for Us, Our Connection, and the Earth:

"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers but as fountains of life (Muir, 1898).

Researchers have pinpointed numerous benefits of harboring a sufficient or restored relationship with the outdoors (Mayer et al., 2008). The literature extensively supports that a strengthened C2N improves emotional well-being, physical health, spirituality, mindfulness, creativity, productivity, focus, attention, patience, thinking skills, and prosocial behavior (Bratman et al., 2019; Corazon et al., 2012; Mayer et al., 2008). While the mechanisms aren't thoroughly understood by science, exposure to nature increases desirable states of mind and decreases negative ones. Some theories behind the mechanisms include opportunity for exercise, social contact, stress recovery and attention restoration, enriched childhood development, and fostering a sense of purpose (Bratman et al., 2019; Mayer et al., 2008). Importantly, Kellert et al. (2017a) and Soga & Gaston (2016) found that outdoor experiences shared with others can be extremely rewarding because they build interpersonal connections as well. Furthermore, nature when combined with therapeutic practices is likely to ease the symptoms of PTSD, c-PTSD, and overall nervous system dysregulation (Corazon et al., 2012). “We found evidence for associations between nature exposure and improved cognitive function, brain activity, blood pressure, mental health, physical activity, and sleep" (Jimenez et al., 2021).

Moreover, nature positively influences the Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and the Stress Reduction Theory (SRT). ART claims that time spent in natural environments improves our vitality for attention, which modern society consumes so much of in our daily lives. SRT posits that time outdoors activates the parasympathetic nervous system due to our innate sense of belonging in nature and thus affects our emotions and feelings (Jimenez et al., 2021). Not only does spending time in nature offer an "ecosystem service" but bringing more elements of it into our daily lives helps as well. For example, aromatherapy, images of nature, immersive videos, non-processed foods, and sounds can help too (Franco et al., 2017). These actions reap similar rewards, such as lowered anxiety felt in the mind and body (Franco et al., 2017; Bratman et al., 2019). Correspondingly, engaging in routine outdoor hikes can reduce stress, depression, and cardiovascular disease (Hartig et al., 2010). The limits of C2N research lie in personal differences, variations in greenspace and quality of natural areas, and current methods of measuring longevity and singling out nature's effects (Jimenez et al., 2021). As mentioned, a more secure attachment to nature not only benefits us but the environment as well. Hence, fostering C2N can improve a community's sustainability. “Restoring the human connection to nature may therefore provide a critical common pathway to promote the physical and spiritual wellbeing of individuals and communities as well as personal and social environmental responsibility” (Zelenski et al., 2023). When changing our narratives and values toward nature, individuals and communities are destined to transform. To demonstrate this, Ives et al. (2018) described nature connection interventions that act as a system of leverage points. Leverage points are weighted from deep to shallow according to their potential to stimulate systemic change. The most shallow interventions are material and experiential connections with cognitive connections at a medium depth. However, emotional and philosophical connections were rated the deepest because they hold the most promise for bringing about change (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Visualization of theorized leverage system

From “Reconnecting with Nature for Sustainability” (Ives et al., 2018)

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